The Chase
A strong gust of wind pushes Julie toward the rear of the van when she tries to slide the side door open. Aggravated, she reaches for the door again. "Hurry, girls, hurry," she says, locking the metal barrier in place.
Looking around, Julie finds the sky is darker than it was a moment ago. We're in for one heck of a storm. Julie longs to be surrounded by the warmth of her home and the comfort of her things instead she's forced to be in the middle of this. She then recalls what she'd found. I'm safer out here than I am in there. Julie glances at the girls to find they're still fiddling with their things. "Come on, let's go, let's go."
Hearing the urgency in their mom's voice, they grab their favorite toy as they slide off their seat.
With a firm hold on their hands, Julie drags them across the dark, empty lot. Newspaper and other debris fly past them as they struggle toward the door.
"I want you to be on your best behavior," Julie instructed once they were safely inside.
"Yes, Mommy," the girls say in unison, nodding their heads.
Seeing the dispatcher at his desk, Julie darts toward him. "I need someone to go out to my house right away," Julie begins.
An older man glances up from his paper. "What seems to be the trouble, ma'am?"
"My house has been burglarized. At least, I think it was. The screen was open, and the front door ajar."
"What's the address?" the officer asks.
"It's..."
"Look who I found," Rebecca says.
Julie turns to see her children leading her best friend down the hall.
"Rebecca said you found a picture of you guys in your yard?" Rachel begins.
"I also noticed the screen door open and the front door ajar."
"Is an officer checking it out for you?"
"I need the address," The dispatcher repeats.
Julie turns towards the man. "Yes, of course, it's 225 Circle Drive."
"Can I look at your picture?" Rachel asks.
"Sure." Julie pulls the photo out of her purse. "I have the envelope too." She reaches deeper into her bag. "Abby opened it," she explains, handing Rachel the remaining bits.
"I'll take it to our lab to get it analyzed. Rachel turns to walk away when she hears Joe's voice echoing down the hall. "Oh no, it's the boss, man, hide." she jokingly replies.
Joe has been a part of the force for over 20 years and a family friend for nearly as long. He was her mentor for her private investigation and her police academy training. Now Rachel works alongside him and his partner, Jerry.
"Did you get lost on the way back?" Joe asks, tucking his arm across his muscular chest. Many find his tall, broad frame intimidating. Rachel, she's fell in love.
Abby steps up. Clearing her throat, she nervously says, "Her delay was my fault, sir. See, someone broke into my home and left this picture on my lawn," Julie points to the photo in her friend's hands. " and Rachel is trying to help."
"I'm taking the picture to forensics," the detective adds.
"Did Sharon have anything for us?"
"Not yet, sir. She said she'll call if she does." Tapping the picture, she continues. " Well, let me get this to the lab."
***
Seeing a familiar exit, Jeff pulls on to it. He realizes that outrunning the cops isn't one of his smartest ideas but figures it's the only way he's going to avoid an arrested and his family's demise. "What have I gotten myself into? What?" he questions, peering into the rearview mirror again. He expects to find the police behind him but discovers Luigi instead. He looks over to find the cruiser passing the exit. They weren't chasing me after all. He laughs. Losing his grip on the wheel, he readjusts himself in the seat.
A horrid smell wafers through the air. He looks over to find vomit oozing down the sides of the seat. Its pungent stench lingers in the stagnant air. The sight and the smells start his nausea all over again. His eyes tear up, he begins to heave. "Not again." Jeff pulls to the shoulder of the road.
Jeff is sitting sideways in his seat when Luigi arrives. A puddle of brown liquid below him. "Did the cops frighten you, bud?" He laughs.
Jeff glances over. "A little." He vomits again.
Luigi looks down the deserted road and then at Jeff. With a curious expression on his face, he asks, "Where were you headed?"
"I was going to ditch them on a back road, I know."
"So, you do have a little gangster in you after all." Luigi chuckles.
Jeff sneers.
Luigi taps his watch and says, "You better hurry if you want to make that deadline."
Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Jeff glances down the road, sighs, and says, "Let's go."
Luigi leans in to find a mess on the seat. "I'd clean it up before you take it to the shop," Luigi instructs, walking away.
***
"The lab is cool, mom," Rebecca says as they enter the hall. It's the only part of the police station with its original wood walls and hardwood floors. Everyone seems to favor this area, despite its dark interior.
"There is a lot of neat stuff in there." Julie agrees. She turns toward Rachel and asks, "What will they do now?"
"They'll check for fingerprints and camera type, see if they can identify the owner."
"How long will that take?"
"It depends on how many prints they find and how popular the camera is. So why don't we go back and see about your house," she suggests, escorting her friend down the hall.
"I'm so glad I found you," Joe says, walking towards them.
"Why, what's going on?" Rachel questions.
"The police need Mrs. Donaldson to return to her house and see if anything is missing." Terrified, Julie glances over at Rachel.
Noticing the petrified look on her friend's face, Rachel grabs Julie's hand and says, "I'll go with you if you'd like."
"Is it alright if she goes, captain?"
Joe winks. "I think we can spare her for a while."
"Looks like we're heading home, girls."
"I don't want to leave, mommy."
"Me either," Rebecca says, crossing her arms in front of her.
"I'm coming with."
"Aunt Rachel is coming, Aunt Rachel is coming," the girls sing. Although they're not actually blood-related, Rachel and Julie's friendship quickly blossomed into a sisterhood of its own.
Julie laughs. "My daughters love you to death."
Rachel scoops Abby into her arms. "The feeling is mutual."
"Have you ever thought about having kids?"
"Maybe someday, but until then, I'll spoil my beautiful nieces rotten." She tickles the squirmy child. Abby giggles in her arms.
"Someday, there'll be baby Joe's and Rachel's running around." Joe smiles, watching them walk outside.
***
Pulling up to Mr. Bambini's shop, Jeff hops out of the car. He's never been happier, for a road trip is over in his life.
He glances up to find the sun slowly peeking through the clouds. He then realizes the rain has slowed down to a light drizzle. Maybe I'll be able to play ball yet, he thinks, heading toward the building.
Luigi steps outside to greet him. "I hope you cleaned up your mess."
"That's what took me so long," Jeff says, handing him the keys. He taps his watch and adds, "But I still made it on time."
"You better hope I don't find anything wrong." Luigi walks over to inspect it.
Jeff nervously watches as he examines every inch. He didn't think he harmed it, but considering what he'd just been through, Jeff wasn't a hundred percent sure.
After what seemed like forever, Luigi turns towards him, a stern look on his face.
He found something. Jeff gulps, taking a shaky step back.
Seeing the horror on the lackey's face, Luigi chuckles. "We'll call you when we need you. So stay by your phone."
Nodding, Jeff heads to his car. He takes a few quick steps and then realizes he doesn't know where it is. "Hey, where's my..."
"It's around the corner, keys are in it. See you soon, pal." Luigi chuckles, heading across the lot.
Sliding inside the car, Jeff grabs his cell from the console. Powering it up, he finds dozens of missed calls from Julie. She never blows up my phone unless... Horrifying thoughts run through his mind as dials her number. Is everything alright?" Jeff blurts out when she picks up.
"Someone broke into our house, and they left a picture of us on the lawn."
"Is anyone hurt?"
"No, we're fine, just shaken, is all."
"Where are you now?"
"I'm at our house with the cops."
"I'm on my way."